Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to electronic apparatus such as a computer terminal, a video camcorder, a portable picture phone or a bar code reader, the apparatus including a display.
A wide variety of electronic apparatus is now available including a display. Such apparatus includes computer terminals, video camcorders, portable picture phones and bar code readers. It is known in, for example, conventional computer terminals to have a base including the processing parts and, separately therefrom, a display monitor. The monitor is generally either movable as a whole, or arranged to pivot or otherwise rotate.
In many cases it is now desired to design electronic apparatus in a portable or hand-held mode, or a lap-top mode. In such cases various constraints are placed on the apparatus, for example size and weight constraints, and ergonomic constraints. The size and weight constraints demand that light-weight modules are preferred with a minimum of complex mechanical components that could give rise to unnecessary bulk or weight. The ergonomic constraints mean that the display must be designed to be carried or held with ease and comfort.
These ergonomic constraints often demand that the display be positioned with optimum efficiency on the apparatus, but to the detriment of the user. For example the user may have to crane his neck, or tilt the display to an uncomfortable position leading to discomfort in the short term and possible physical damage in the long term. In addition it may be desired to position the display such that a third party may view it, or so that it can be viewed regardless of the lighting conditions.
Because of the weight and size constraints, however, the conventional methods of positioning the display are inappropriate.
It is recognized that the provision of a display on a bar code reader terminal may assist the operator in entering information or operational parameters, or reading directly information obtained by the bar code reader or relating to its performance. The ergonomic constraints in a bar code reader are especially important as it must be shaped to allow the easy pointing of the reader portion at a bar code symbol to be read, while allowing the user to view the display screen easily and comfortably.
Various readers and optical scanning systems have been developed for reading printed indicia such as bar code symbols appearing on a label or the surface of an article and providing information concerning the article such as the price or nature of the article. The bar code symbol itself is a coded pattern of indicia comprised of, for example, a series of bars of various widths spaced apart from one another to form spaces of various widths, the bars and spaces having different light reflecting characteristics. The readers electro-optically transform the graphic indicia into electrical signals which are decoded into alpha-numeric characters that are intended to be descriptive of the article or a characteristic thereof. Such characters typically are represented in digital form, and utilized as an input to a data processing system for applications in point of sale processing, inventory control and the like.
Known scanning systems comprise a light source for generating a light beam incident on a bar code symbol and a light receiver for receiving the reflected light and decoding the information contained in the bar code symbol accordingly. The readers may comprise a flying spot scanning system wherein the light beam is scanned rapidly across a bar code symbol to be read or a fixed field of view reading system wherein the bar code symbol to be read is illuminated as a whole and a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) array is provided for detecting the light reflected from the bar code symbol. The reader may be either a hand-held device or a surface-mounted fixed terminal.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/366,383 filed Dec. 29, 1994 and commonly assigned herewith relates to an optical scanner including a mounting portion and a scanning portion, a light source, mirror and detector being mounted in the scanning portion, wherein the scanning portion comprises a substantially spherical housing mounted in a complementary socket in the mounting portion to effectively form a ball-joint.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,367,152 which is commonly assigned herewith relates to a bar code symbol scanning system wherein scanning of the laser beam is achieved by the rapid oscillation of a laser diode and wherein the scanning beam is directed towards the target by a stationary mirror. The stationary mirror is provided on a cover portion to the scanning system which may be detached from the scanning system and re-attached in a position rotated about the longitudinal axis of the scanning system from the original position in order to direct the scanning beam in a different direction.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,418,684 assigned to Norand Corporation discloses a hand-held data collection terminal unit of modular construction. One of the modules comprises a scanning head which is rotatably or pivotably attached to the scanner module to pivot about the longitudinal central axis through the terminal unit. Alternatively, a fixed scanning head having a directional scanning at an angle of 45.degree. from the longitudinal axis may be provided.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,477,044 relates to a hand-held symbology reader including a handle and a head with a reading module therein. The reading module is rotatably mounted within the head and the head may be further rotatably mounted by a ball and socket-type joint upon the handle. The reader is designed so as to be oriented to read a bar code symbol at any orientation on a facing surface of an item.
In some cases known readers are not ideally suited for reading bar code symbols on certain types of goods, or in certain situations. For example, when taking the inventory of goods in a warehouse where certain of the goods are unwieldy, or located in inaccessible positions it may be difficult to read bar code symbols on the goods using a hand-held bar code scanner without considerable exertion or contortion of the reader operator. Similarly, where a bar code reader is provided in a fixed terminal, for example at the point of sale, it is generally necessary for the operator to "sweep" a product bearing a bar code past the reading head on the terminal. In some cases, however, the reading head of the terminal may not be in an optimum position, or may not be directed at an optimum inclination for the operator's physical requirements. The operator will, therefore, be required to stretch or twist more than is necessary or desirable which may give rise inter alia to repetitive strain injuries. Although it is possible to provide differently configured bar code readers dependent on the uses to which they will be put, such an approach is clearly costly and may require careful planning as to which readers are to be used in certain applications requiring overly complex preparation.